PhoenixDownVII

Is it possible for me to export my FD to europe to gain European parts, then ship it to Japan for Jspec Turbo's, import it BACK to America and be able to drive it without insurance, and perhaps only on 3 wheels (I can't afford 4!)???

I must know, my partner in Algabania, Gesuit can forward all the money via an escrow acct. with Eleventy hundred dollars.

Fatman0203

Check the car ligibility list and it says the the 93-95 is on the list.
BTW No one still has answered my question about it being brought over in 2 parts (drive train/ chassis) and call it a kit car.

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

I can prob answer that question for you in the near future Don't think I'm going w/ the kit car method tho...there are ways (loopholes) to issue it a US title, w/ VIN, etc, although it would NOT be clear (it would be a salvage title)

Fatman0203

Florida has no emmisions and doesnt even require a title to register the car! Thats why I think it would be easy (at least in Florida) to do this. I mean Ive seen so many Skylines here its ridiculous R32,33, and 34 so why not an dam FD!!! How could I find out if its possible to do this through kit car.

diablone

iTrader: (2)

You're ignoring the part that Flordia isn't it's own country, but rather part of the United States. And the United States, has federal requirements, that the state adds to.

Fatman0203

The federal part seems to be just getting it here like just into the country. Im guessing it cant be THAT hard getting it here illegally, but ofcourse what good is a car you cant drive.

Jay7 Nyc

iTrader: (3)

You can import the 96+ FD into the U.S after paying all types of fee's.. The main thing is being able to driver the FD legally without swaping VIN #'s.. To even start to make a 96+ FD legal here you would have to buy the FD in Japan, bring it here paying 'X' amount of dollars all to wreck the FD with Dummy Test to make sure the FD is safe and pass with flying colors.. All before one can actually be made legal here in the U.S..

uxcFD

i really need to ask a friend of mine... he drives a Skyline R33 GST. Right hand drive and everything. and yes its legit. and dont buy it and convert it to a left hand drive, thats just a waste... besides being pulled over by a cop is quite humurous with a right hand drive.

Fastway

iTrader: (2)

Cutting a car into 2 pieces is how www.evolutionimports.net tries to sell their cars over here 'legally'

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

That's one way. The other way is to bring the car in w/ the front end dropped... so you bring in the car w/ the entire engine bay and front suspension dropped...bringing it in as salvage for parts only. Then a few shipments later, hoping they don't notice, you ship the engine bay contents and front suspension. Put them together (this way no welding or cutting necessary etc). That's the biggest hurdle...getting the car past the border. Once it's in the country, obtaining a title isn't too hard, and then it's really a matter of having the proper paperwork so local cops don't have anything to hold against you. If you have a title, w/ a VIN # on it, and thus the car is tagged and titled, end of story. Only customs can seize the car, and the likelihood of them finding out about your car is almost zilch, as long as you don't flaunt the car all over the place. The feds raided Motorex cuz they're high profile. Stay off the radar, and you can enjoy your car for YEARS, no prob. Plus, like Fatman said, you can always try titling it as a kit car (but their standards are pretty stringent).

Narfle

iTrader: (16)

Die autobot!

Fatman0203

Got any idea how much it would cost to ship the car over as a parts car? Im guessing you would need to pallet/crate it. BTW how about getting the car through the Carribean? Alot of islands have right hand drive and I know thats how a skyline or 2 have gotten here. I doubt theres any Spirit Rs running around there though. Lol BTW I know you can have it as a "collector/show" car , and can only put like 100 miles a month on it. They dont check it and I guess you can always try to mess with the odometer somehow. Finally how about mexico? Ive been there and its so dam corrupt, I mean just pay everyone off and thats it.

TEDDER1

iTrader: (1)

Did you read what I posted? That docket number I mentioned is for what you are talking about! IT IS FOR LHD CARS ONLY! I talked directly to the people who entered the petition.

I just re-read this and Im not mad just trying to make it very clear for everyone who reads this...

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Dunno how much, but yea you gotta crate it, put it in a container, etc

Yea I've heard of this before...there are many various loopholes in the system, ways you can slip through the cracks.

Fatman0203

I work for an import/export company but usually are shipments are small Im going to ask about that.

Oh sorry, I didnt recognize it was for LHD only. Im seeing that more of the problem seems to be registering it rather than getting it here; either way getting it here is still as pricey.

RotorMotor

iTrader: (5)

i hate to break it to you guys.... but after many years bill gates and a few friends of his that liked those porsches worked their magic and got some legislatoin through. there is a company here in santa cruz california which now does the conversions for these cars to make them legal. they still cost a **** load though.

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

From Autoweek Magazine:

'No stranger to a courtroom, Gates suggested the legal approach, but even his attorney couldn't untangle the mess. In the intervening two years, Canepa's exhaustive research on the problem led him to believe Washington, D.C., attorney Warren Dean might help the cause. Representing Canepa, Chandler , Ralph Lauren, Gates and Allen, "Dean went to EPA, NHTSA and all the major manufacturers, to keep everyone happy. We formulated a law-that if 500 or fewer cars were produced, if they weren't currently produced, if they were never U.S.-legal, and if they were rare-*you could import them without having to pass DOT standards. As long as they met EPA standards and were driven no more than 2500 miles per year, they'd be legal."

Attached to miscellaneous bills, the supercar rider failed passage two years in a row before Dean maneuvered it into a Senate transportation bill he knew was a guaranteed winner. In April 1998, the supercar proviso became law when President Clinton signed off on it.'

For the full article & pics: http://www.canepa.com/SportsLuxury/S...leAutoweek.asp

Too bad the guy who was doing the conversion was quoted making such an inaccurate statement, "Besides, Canepa's personal experience confirmed the sequential turbos promoted lag"

Moral of the story, if all FD owners were the likes of G. Monsen, we'd have 2002 Spirit R's legalized already. But unfortunately most FD owners are right "up there" with Ford Pinto owners when it comes to financies

FD7KiD

iTrader: (8)

so whats up with this im going to be in the navy soon and going to be stationed in YOKOHAMA and im going to bring a few G's of cash and get me a FD over there a 95 Type R though thats way i dont have to deal with the OBD II **** so what exactly do i need to add to the car to make it pass inspection?? aka the short list of things to get to install????

heres the website with LIST OF NONCONFORMING MOTOR VEHICLES THAT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR IMPORTATION (BY OR THROUGH A REGISTERED IMPORTER) http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/elig010807.pdf it specifies that a RX7 from 1987-1995 qualifies Under 49 U.S.C. § 30112(a) but since its a RHD need a letter from the manufactured company (MAZDA) to say that whats underlined & highlighted in RED "Vehicles that have been determined eligible for importation are assigned a vehicle eligibility number. All eligibility numbers are for left-hand drive motor vehicles except where the initials “RHD,” signifying right-hand drive, appear in the model type column. While there is no specific restriction on importing a right-hand drive vehicle, these may not be imported under eligibility decisions based on the existence of substantially similar U.S.-certified left-hand drive vehicles. Our experience has shown that the safety performance of right-hand drive vehicles is not necessarily the same as that of apparently similar left-hand drive vehicles offered for sale in this country. However, we will consider the vehicles "substantially similar" if the manufacturer advises us that the right-hand drive vehicle would perform the same as the U.S.-certified left-hand drive vehicle in dynamic crash tests."- NHTSA.gov

"One basis for determining a motor vehicle eligible for importation is that it 1) is substantially similar to a motor vehicle of the same model year that was manufactured for sale in the United States and certified by its manufacturer as complying with all applicable FMVSS and 2) is capable of being readily altered to comply with all applicable FMVSS." - NHTSA.gov

it seems to me that they are contradicting themselfs but there is hope for getting one.

so has anyone gotten one yet??? any helpful information will help a lot thanks.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Nope. What they are saying is that RHD alone isn't a restriction for importation. They are saying that if USA crash tests were not completed for RHD cars, a notarized letter from the manufacturer needs to be received stating that they support that the tests performed for USA based LHD cars can be applied to RHD cars. However, this puts Mazda in the middle of some liability they don't want to assume which is why they haven't produced this letter over all these years.

FD7KiD

iTrader: (8)

dame how about the KIT CAR method can that be done with the FD

twinsinside

iTrader: (34)

This has been hammered to death, can't be done LEGALLY. I personally know 6 guys in the Corps and the Navy that have tried to import their FD's back into the US. One guy even chopped his in half thinking that would work. I don't know anyone who has succeeded. This has also been answered about 1000 times so far so search up on those threads and read them.

Yes I am familiar with TMO, I spent 8 years in the Marines.

There's no win here. It will cost more than just buying a LHD car in the US, it will cause a lot of headache, and in the end the Feds may squash your car anyway, even if you manage to get it registered at the state level somehow.

Other companies have tried the "kit car" loophole, and have failed. Dismantling a car and putting it back together somewhere else doesn't make it a kit car.

The best thing to do is buy one here, sell it when you leave, and strip your mods off before you go back and buy a LHD model.

fosingwo

iTrader: (4)

yea kit car wont work. Kaizo tried to do it with their skylines. They had a good run while it lasted. The feds came in and seize all their skyline and went after the people who bought them. They imported the chassis without the tranny and motor and title it as a kit car. but then again they were based in cali mabe it would be different if it was somewhere else. who knows

moconnor

iTrader: (14)

Federal authorities went after them, not California authorities - so the fact that the company was based in California was not relevant.

vashuba311

Yes!!!!